Tool for cleaning electrical leads, etc.



p 26, 7 J. A. SYLVESTER 3,343,245

TOOL FOR CLEANING ELECTRICAL LEADS, ETC.

Filed Feb. l2, 1965 INVENTOR.

.14 it armfgs A United States Patent Ofiice 3,343,245 Patented Sept. 26, 1967 3,343,245 TOOL FOR CLEANING ELECTRICAL LEADS, ETC. Joseph A. Sylvester, Wayne, N.J., assignor to Hexacon Electric Company, Roselle Park, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Feb. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 432,101 7 Claims. (Cl. 2978) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A tool for cleaning electrical leads such as small diameter copper wires is described in which pair of jaw members covered with flexible abrasive material over a cushioning material are adapted to be clamped around the lead by manual manipulation of the tool. The cushioning material permits the abrasive material on the opposed jaws to conform to the contours of the lead and thus provides cleaning action around the contours of the lead as it is manually drawn between the opposed jaws of the tool.

This invention relates to a hand manipulatable tool which is especially adapted for use in cleaning terminal surfaces of electrically conductive bared wire leads or other contacting elements, whereby to improve the ability thereof to make good electrical contact with connections to which they are desired to be attached.

This invention has for an object to provide a tool for the purposes mentioned which comprises longitudinally extending, opposed movable arms which terminate in normally separated jaw portions, movable one toward the other to grip therebetween a wire lead or other element desired to be cleaned. Said movable arms are preferably formed as parts of a resilient tongs device, although they may be pivoted together for movement toward and from one another. Mounted on the jaw portions of the tool is a suitable abrasive material, backed by a resilient cushioning material, whereby to provide yieldable support of the abrasive material, thus assuring a substantial degree of surrounding and conforming engagement of the latter with I the surface of the wire lead or other element as nipped between said jaw portions, when said jaws are pressed together and moved relative to the interposed wire lead or other element, whereby to apply abrading or scraping pressure to the same.

Anotherobject ofthis invention is to provide the abrasive material in the form of a tubular sleeve, the inner end portion of which is telescoped over a jaw portion of the tool, so as to leave an extending free end portion adapted to be flattened and folded back over the inner face of said jaw portion and over the resilient backing pad when the latter is applied between said folded back free end portion and said jaw portion; means being provided to secure the abrasive material in place when so arranged.

A further and more specific object of this invention is to provide the abrasive material in the form of a sleeve of relatively hard, and preferably ribbon-like, metallic strands which are braided or otherwise woven together, thus providing a multiplicity of sharp edges to produce the desired scraping effect when pressed and rubbed against a wire lead or other element undergoing a cleaning ope-ration.

Another object of this invention is to provide novel means in the form of heat shrinkable tubular plastic securing members adapted to envelop and anchor the end portions of the abrasive sleeves to the jaw portions and arms of the tool, while at the same time enclosing raw end edges of the sleeves so as to prevent contact therewith of the fingers of the operators hand which grasps and manipulates the tool in use.

The above objects, and others not at this time more particularly mentioned, will be understood from a reading of the following description of an illustrative embodiment of this invention, as shown in the accompanying drawings; in which drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a cleaning tool according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view, taken on line 22 in FIG. 1, but drawn on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view, taken on line 3-3 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view, showing the jaw portions of the tool closed together in engagement with a wire lead undergoing a cleaning operation.

Referring to the drawings, in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts, the tool, in a preferred form thereof, is of a resilient tongs type 10, comprising a flat spring steel strip bent into U-shape so as to provide normally spaced apart, longitudinally extending arms 11. Said arms 11 terminate, at their free ends, in preferably inwardly offset jaw portions 12, which are opposed one to the other. Such preferred tongs type tool does not preclude, however, any other type of tool whereby its jaw portions can be moved, one toward the other, into gripping relation to a wire lead or other element desired to be cleaned; such, e.g., as a pivoted pincher or plier type of tool or the like.

In the preferred tongs type of tool, as shown, it is preferable, but not essentially necessary, to encase the arms 11 thereof in a relatively soft plastic covering 13, which is adapted to provide a smooth and soft handle grip that is comfortable to the users hand. This plastic covering 13 can be economically provided and applied in the form of heat shrinkable tubular material, such as a vinyl plastic, which will, in place, surround and cling to the tool arms.

Mounted upon the jaw portions 12, to at least overlie inner surfaces thereof, can be any suitable abrasive material. Preferably, however, and a a novel specific feature of this invention, the abrasive material is provided in the form of a tubular sleeve 14 of braided or otherwise woven metallic mesh, which is preferably produced from relatively hard, ribbon-like strands, whereby the operative surfaces thereof provide a multiplicity of sharp edges, which are well adapted to effect a desired scraping abrasive action, when pressed and rubbed against a wire lead or other element undergoing a cleaning operation.

The preferred abrasive material, comprising the tubular sleeves 14 of braided or woven metallic strands above mentioned, are each provided in a length approximating twice the length of a jaw portion 12 of the tool to which they are to be applied. Thus each sleeve 14 includes an inner end portion 15, which is adapted to be telescopically engaged over a jaw portion 12, but so as to leave a free end portion 16 which initially extends outwardly from the free end of the jaw portion to which the sleeve 14 is applied. The free end portions 16 of said sleeves 14 are first flattened and then respectively folded back beneath and so as to overlie the inner faces of said jaw portions 12.

Interposed between the folded back portions 16 of the abrasive sleeve 14 and the jaw portions 12 of the tool are yieldable, conformable cushioning members or the backing pads 17; the same preferably comprising a body or pad of soft rubber or other resilient material.

Suitable means is provided for securing the sleeve 14 of abrasive material in the described operative assembled relation to the respective jaw members 12 of .the tool. One manner of accomplishing this purpose is to lap the terminal parts of the inner end portion 15 and the folded back sections 16 of the sleeves 14 by outer end parts of the shrinkable plastic covering 13 on the tool arms 11. Preferably, however, a separate annular band 18, of heat shrinkable plastic material, is applied over the adjoining end parts of said sleeves 14 and said covering 13 of the tool arms. These anchoring bands 18, when shrunk by application of heat thereto, will surround and firmly embrace the end parts of the sleeves 14, thereby securing the same in affixed relation to the tool jaw portions 12.

In either case, the sharp raw end edges of the abrasive sleeves 14 will be enclosed, and therefore cannot uncomfortably or injuriously contact the fingers of the users hand which grasps and manipulates the tool in use.

In the use of the tool, a wire lead 19, or other element, desired to be cleaned, is inserted between the jaw portions 12 of the tool, whereupon said jaw portions or members are moved, one toward the other, and compressibly engaged and so as to engage said wire lead or the like. Due to the backing of the effective parts of the abrasive material by the resilient, yieldable and conformable cushioning pads 17, the abrasive material will be so yieldably supported as to substantially surround and conform to the contours of said wire lead or the like, and thus be brought into firm conforming contact with substantially the entire surface thereof. Under these circumstances, by moving the engaged wire lead or the like relative to the abrasive material, the latter will effect a strong scraping abrasive action upon the former (see FIG. 4).

An important advantage of the specifically described form of the abrasive material, which comprises tubular braided or otherwise woven metallic sleeves, is that said sleeves can be readily removed from the jaw members 12 of the tool, and reversed, end for end, to dispose unused parts thereof in operative facing relation to the inner faces of the jaw members for further use; or said sleeves can be removed from the jaw members and turned inside out after first use, and then reapplied to the latter whereby to expose other previously unused surfaces thereof for further use. By reason of this, at least eight surfaces of the abrasive material are available for use. In this connection, the use of the separate anchoring band 18 is of advantage, since it can be easily removed and a new one replaced, without necessity for disturbing the coverings 13 of the tool arms 11.

From the above, it will now be understood that the instant invention provides an effective and economical tool for the above indicated purposes.

Having now described this invention, what is claimed is.

I claim:

1. A cleaning tool for the purposes described comprising a pair of arms movable toward and from one another and terminating at their outer free ends in jaw members, flexible abrasive material overlying the opposed faces of the jaw members, and bodies of a resilient, yieldable contour conformable cushioning material interposed between said jaw members and the overlying abrasive material on opposed sides of said jaw members.

2. A cleaning tool according to claim 1, wherein the abrasive material comprises tubular metallic fabric sleeves of lengths exceeding the lengths of the jaw members, inner end portions of said tubular fabric sleeves being telescoped over the jaw members so a to leave outer end portions thereof, extending from the free ends of the latter. said outer end portions being flattened and then in-folded to overlie the inner opposed faces of the jaw members and the intermediate cushioning material, and means to secure said fabric sleeves, as thus disposed, in place.

3. A cleaning tool according to claim 2, wherein the tool arms are provided with coverings of relatively soft material.

4. A cleaning tool for the purposes described comprising a strip of flat springy material bent into U-shape to provide arms movable toward and from one another and terminating at their free ends in opposed jaw members, flexible abrasive material overlying the opposed inner faces of the jaw members, and bodies of a resilient, yieldable, contour conformable cushioning material interposed between said jaw members and said abrasive material on the opposed sides of said jaw members.

5. A cleaning tool according to claim 4, wherein the bodies of cushioning material comprise soft rubber.

6. A cleaning tool according to claim 4, wherein the abrasive material comprises tubular braided metallic fabric sleeves of lengths exceeding the lengths of the jaw members, inner end portions of said tubular fabric sleeves being telescoped over the jaw members so as to leave outer end portions thereof extending from the free ends of the latter, said outer end portions being flattened and then infolded to overlie the opposed inner faces of the jaw members and the. intermediate cushioning material, and means to secure said fabric sleeves, as thus disposed, in place.

7. A cleaning tool according to claim 6, wherein the means to secure the fabric sleeves in place comprises annular bands of heat shrinkable plastic material, said bands being disposed to overlie and enclose raw end edges of the fabric sleeves.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,353,409 7/1944 McCluve 51-352 2,735,434 2/1956 De Rossett 2978 X 2,922,218 1/ 1960 Lewis 2978 HARRISON L. HINSON, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CLEANING TOOL FOR THE PURPOSE DESCRIBED COMPRISING A PAIR OF ARMS MOVABLE TOWARD AND FROM ONE ANOTHER AND TERMINATING AT THEIR OUTER FREE ENDS IN JAW MEMBERS, FLEXIBLE ABRASIVE MATERIAL OVERLYING THE OPPOSED FACES OF THE JAW MEMBERS, AND BODIES OF A RESILIENT, YIELDABLE CON- 